Expandable toy recalled due to ingestion risk, group says

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Expandable toy recalled due to ingestion risk, group says

By Jim Barnett

WASHINGTON (CNN) — A toy that absorbs water and can expand to 400 times its original size has been voluntarily recalled after a report that a baby ingested one and needed surgery to remove it, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Monday.

The CPSC said the marble-size toy can be swallowed, and once inside the stomach, it can expand and cause blockage in the small intestine. The toys do not show up on an x-ray and require surgery to be removed, according to the commission.

Nearly 95,000 Water Balz (round-shape), Growing Skulls (skull-shape), H2O Orbs “Despicable Me” (round-shape) and Fabulous Flowers (flower-shape) toys were sold in stores in the United States and Canada from 2010 to November 2012.

An 8-month-old Texas girl reportedly ingested a Water Balz last year and underwent surgery to remove the toy. The packaging states the toy “Grows to the Size of a Racquetball!”

The CPSC and Health Canada, along with the importer DuneCraft Inc., based in Cleveland, announced the voluntary recall on Monday.

The toys, manufactured in China and the United States, were sold in packages of six in green, yellow, red, blue and black.